Selecting an Energy Efficient Door

A great door does more than secure your home and welcome guests. It also plays a vital part in your home’s overall energy efficiency. Here’s how to determine if your current door is wasting energy (and money), and what you should consider when selecting an energy efficient door.

How efficient is your current door?

Many older doors leave much to be desired in terms of energy efficiency. Consider the following factors:

Do you have a skeleton keyhole? If so, you have a literal hole in your door, letting outside air in and conditioned air out.

Do you have single-pane glass? If so, it’s costing you on your heating and cooling bill. It might be time to upgrade to insulated double-pane glass.

Is your door drafty? If you can see light around the top or sides of your door, you have a poor seal. If you can slide a dollar bill under your door when closed, you’re losing energy there, too.

Fiberglass is more efficient than wood

When you’re talking about insulation, you’re talking about R-value. That’s the rating scale building professionals use to identify how well insulated something is. For doors, it’s a matter of the door material. Built with a polyurethane foam core that offers up to four times the R-Value of wood, Benchmark fiberglass doors help insulate against cold and heat for exceptional energy efficiency.*

Components close the door on drafts

Energy efficiency isn’t just about the door itself. Components like compression weatherstrip, heavy-duty door sweeps and rot-resistant sills and jambs all play an important part in forming a tight seal and boosting energy efficiency. Learn more about how these parts are engineered to last as a complete door system.

Certified ENERGY STAR® compliant

Most Therma-Tru Benchmark doors meet the rigorous ENERGY STAR® program qualifications for energy efficiency. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, helping protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. Look for the ENERGY STAR logo to see which products qualify, or download this qualification chart.